FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director, patrick.connor@nfib.org,
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

OLYMPIA, Wash., Sept. 4, 2025—From NFIB Washington State Director Patrick Connor on today’s release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), showing that 32% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in August, down 1 point from July. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32% was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (down 1 point), and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (up 1 point).

“The latest Jobs Report shows only glimmers of hope for the long-awaited recovery of the small business economy, but the real thing still seems distant. It will be interesting to see what this coming Tuesday’s release of the Small Business Optimism Index reveals. Last month’s showed some positive signs. It’s a pity that Congress has to do all the heavy lifting while the Washinton Legislature keeps adding weights.”

NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year.

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“While the economy appears to be doing well, small businesses are scaling back on job openings. Small business owners with job openings are still looking for qualified applicants, many citing labor quality as their single most important problem.”

Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report

• Job openings were the highest in the construction, manufacturing, and transportation industries, and the lowest in the wholesale and finance industries.
• A seasonally adjusted net 15% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, up 1 point from July and the third consecutive monthly increase.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 29% of small business owners reported raising compensation in August, up 2 points from July. A net 20% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, up 3 points from July.
• Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners decreased 1 point from July to 8%.

Keep up with the latest Washington state small-business news at www.nfib.com or on X @NFIB_WA or on Facebook @NFIB.WA

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For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Washington
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